Government to privatise 20-25 airports in next phase: AAI chairman

After privatising six airports in last year, the government has now decided to privatise 20-25 more in the next phase, Airports Authority of India Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said on Friday.

Last year, the government had decided to privatise airports in Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati for operation, management and development through public-private partnership (PPP) model. In February, the Adani Group bagged contract for five of the six airports.

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Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Mohapatra said, "We have privatised six airports; we are now planning to privatise 20-25 airports in next phase". "These 20-25 airports will be major airports with annual passenger traffic between 1 and 1.5 million," he added.

Mohapatra will take over as Secretary, Department of Industry and Internal Trade, in the Ministry of Commerce from August 1. The Adani Group were the highest bidder for Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru and Jaipur airports.